pretty edgy

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events

by the time you read this i’ll most probably be in london, but i already know i’ll be way to knackered to write a blog today—i’ll have spent nearly the whole last day getting here.

so i thought it would be fun to fill my recovery day blog slot (try typing that five times fast!) with some bookish fun.

the hot weather we’re having and the need to spend more time outdoors may have already put a dent in your knitting time or caused you to change the kind of project you turn to when you do feel like picking up the needles.

this can be a good time to experiment with something quick and different that you’ve been putting off—such as edgings, which serve several functional purposes in garment construction but have the added advantage of being very pretty or unique. and therefore, fun to work.

since they are generally narrow, edging repeats flow off the needles very quickly and, alone or in combination with other stitches, can make a beautiful little project such as a bookmark or scarf, when knit up in varying weight yarns.

i own several books of edgings, but one of my favorites is nicky epstein’s knitting over the edge, which was made available in paperback earlier this year.

i’ve had a hardcopy version of this book for years and i find it a delight to look at when i need a refreshed viewpoint on edgings. ms. epstein has divided edging and border stitches into a number of categories, mostly based on the type of stitchwork involved, but also on the type of edging or border those stitches produce.

so, while these examples are not technically edgings, these familiar knit/purl combinations do form borders that would be very attractive along the bottom of a piece. what i like about these examples is that we are shown a few ways to think about stitch patterns differently and hopefully, inspired to come up our own combinations as needed.

here is an example of a stitch pattern used to accent the hem of an otherwise very plain stockinette sweater. and beaded, to boot. the result is a complete transformation of the sweater and is extremely effective, yet does not overpower the beauty of the yarn.

and nearly the same sweater again, this time with a different treatment, which proves how effective a change in border can be.

when it comes to styling the edging/border categories, ms. epstein does a terrific job of showing numerous variations of edging types in a variety of fibers and yarn weights. let’s look at the ruffles category for instance—there are a couple of pages of typical ruffle styles (above), the kind that change stitch count drastically to form multiple folds along a garment edge. these are executed in lighter, more delicate yarns.

but she also shows us what this effect might look like in a heavier yarn, in case we are contemplating that. this is really helpful in making a decision and weeding out the possibilities that won’t work.

and finally, she shows us some options for flatter ruffles that might work better in a heavier yarn weight and still look very interesting. i find this sort of progression quite helpful.

of course there is a wonderful section of lace edgings that are knit in the sideways direction, where once again, we see a generous swatch example of what the pattern will look like in various yarn weights. what i love about this part is that it leads my mind directly to scarfs and neckwarmer ideas; i can see which ones have a bias and which ones would spread nicely along the bottom edge. very helpful.

and for more delicate projects, i can also get a sense of how wide a given edging will be (they tend to knit up a lot wider than you’d think; often falling out of proportion to the piece they are joined to, which is a challenge for the designer).

even though i rarely, if ever, use them, haha, my favorite section of all is the one on fringes.

i really feel like ms. epstein gave in here to her whimsical sense of humor for knitting as well as her quirky, fun taste.

the possibilities are wide and varied and lots of fun. some of these take a bit of doing in the execution but the results are totally worth it, when it suits the project.

now here’s the best part—sixth&spring has generously offered to send one lucky reader of today’s review a gift copy of knitting over the edge. if you’d like to be in the running to win it, please leave a comment at the end of this post by 9pm EST on sunday, july 17th. we’ll announce the winner as soon as i can after that (i’ll be in the middle of knit nation; there may not be a lot of time to post).

have a wonderful week; i’ll try to be back with a london post very soon!

273 thoughts on “pretty edgy

  1. Have a wonderful time in London and in Sock Summit. Take lots of pictures! I’d really love to win the book – Thanks.

  2. What a great book review! I’ve never had the opportunity to look through this book. Thanks for the giveaway!
    Have an awesome time in London! Looking forward to your post and pics about it. 🙂

  3. what a great book,……I own a few other Epstein books but not this one,…..great as a reference!!!!!!!!

  4. A wonderful book. I need more reference materials in my knitting book collection.

  5. Hi Anne! I hope you are resting well in London! I would love to win this to give to my daughter as part of a birthday gift!

  6. There are some really neat things in there – I will need to look it up! Thanks for the offer and enjoy London!

  7. Have a fabulous time in London. I am off there myself in a couple of months and can’t wait. I would love a copy of this book. Thanks to you and the publisher for the generous offer.

  8. Add me to the list of those who would love this book. I’ve checked it out of the library many, many times!

    Jealous of your time at A Verb For Keeping Warm. The classes look stupendous (come to Minneapolis and teach a finishing class, please…). I just love the Bay area, especially Berkeley, where my sister lives!

  9. What an interesting and useful book! Having recently knit my first huge lace shawl with a knit-sideways edging, I’m now fascinated by edgings and would love to have the book!

  10. this book is amazing wow what a great addition to anyone’s knitting library!! hope i win this book 🙂

  11. What an interesting book. Thank you for your review and the offer. Will most certainly add this to my reading list.

Comments are closed.